Processing hogs

ABSTRACT

A METHOD OF PROCESSING ANIMALS, SPECIFICALLY HOGS, IS PROVIDED. ACCORDING TO THE METHOD, AFTER THE HOGS ARE SLAUGHTERED, DE-HEADED, AND EVISCERATED, THEY ARE QUICKLY COOLED TO A TEMPERATURE OF ONLY ABOUT 50*-60* F, AND ARE THEN IMMEIDATELY DIVIDED INTO MARKET CUTS. THE APPROPRIATE CUTS TO BE HEATED ARE THEN INTERNALLY HEATED BY PUMPING HOT BRINE INTO OR THROUGH THEM AND THEY ARE THEN FURTHER HEATED IN CONTINUOUS OVENS OR TUNNELS AND BROUGHT TO SMOKING OR COOKING TEMPERATURE. THEY ARE THEN CHILLED, AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN COOKED AT THE DESIRED TEMPERATURE, BY THEIR TEMPERATURES BEING LOWERED BY PUMPING COLD BRINE THROUGH THEM. FRESH CURS ARE WRAPPED AND THE CHILED. THE FAT IS ALSO RENDERED IMMEDIATELY INTO LARD. IF DESIRED, BEFORE THE CARCASSES ARE COOLED TO ABOUT 50*-60* F., THEY CAN BE INVERTED AND THE HAMS CHOPPED OFF, LEAVING SUBSTANTIALLY LESS WEIGHT TO BE COOLED AND SUBSWQUENTLY HEATED. THE OVERALL PROCESS IS BOTH RAPID AND CONTINUOUS SO THAT HOGS BROUGHT IN THE MORNING ARE PROCESSED INTO PRODUCTS WHICH ARE ALREADY FOR THE MARKET THE SAME EVENING.

June 4, 1974 C, H. WALLACE 3,814,814

PROCESSING HOGS Filed Jan. 11, 1972 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ff/m55 HWAM/165 C. H. WALLACE PROCESSING HOGS June 4, 1974 Filed Jan. l1, 1972I5 Sheets-Sheet I5 INVENTOR. ma f5 mami United States Patent O 3,814,814PROCESSING HUGS Charles H. Wallace, Carrollton, Va., assignor toInternagoal Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, Nutley,Continuation-impart of abandoned application Ser. No. 101,900, Dec. 28,1970. This application Jan. 11, 1972,

Ser. No. 217,025

Int. Cl. A22c 18/00 U.S. Cl. 426-2 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Amethod of processing animals, specifically hogs, is provided. Accordingto the method, after the hogs are slaughtered, de-headed, andeviscerated, they are quickly cooled to a temperature of only about50-60 F. and are then immediately divided into market cuts. Theappropriate cuts to be heated are then internally heated by pumping hotbrine into or through them and they are then further heated incontinuous ovens or tunnels and brought to smoking or cookingtemperature. They are then chilled, after they have been cooked at thedesired temperature, by their temperature being lowered by pumping coldbrine through them. Fresh cuts are wrapped and then chilled. The fat isalso rendered immediately into lard. If desired, before the carcassesare cooled to about 50-60 F., they can be inverted and the hams choppedoff, leaving substantially less weight to be cooled and subsequentlyheated. The overall process is both rapid and continuous so that hogsbrought in the morning are processed into products which are ready forthe market the same evening.

This is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No.101,900, entitled Processing Animals, tiled Dec. 28, 1970, nowabandoned.

This invention relates to a method for processing animals for humanconsumption and specically to a method for slaughtering and handlinghogs.

Presently, after hogs are slaughtered, de-headed, and eviscerated, thecarcasses are chilled over a lengthy period of time of sixteen toeighteen hours until the temperature of the thickest part of thecarcasses (the hams) reach an internal temperature of 36-38 F. Duringthis cooling period, a shrinkage of about two percent results in theweight of the carcasses. After chilling, the carcasses are relayed tothe cutting room where they are divided or broken up into primal ormarket cuts. Most of the cuts are then cured and cooked or smoked, beingbrought to an internal temperature of about 137 to 160 F. or more in theprocess. Fresh cuts are simply chilled, while the fat is usually chilledand then subsequently rendered.

In this process, considerable cooling and heating expenses areencountered since the entire carcass is chilled to about 38 F. and mostof it, about seventy-two percent, is subsequently heated to about 137 to160 F. Also, the shrinkage resulting in the hog carcass represents asignincant loss in terms of market value. A large amount of labor isalso expended in moving the carcasses and cuts into and out of thechilling rooms and smokehouses. Further, a considerable amount of spaceis required to handle the animals, which are in process over a period ofseveral days, and substantial sums of money are tied up in inventoryrepresenting the various cuts being processed.

In accordance with the invention, the hogs are slaughtered, de-headed,eviscerated, and split in lcwo in the usual manner, along with the usualoperations of scalding, removing hair, washing, etc. At this time,however the carcasses are only cooled to a surface temperature of about27 to 65 F. with an internal temperature of about 70 F., rather thanbeing chilled to 38 F. or lower internally.

'ice

This cooling is preferably done by owing cold liquid over the carcassesfor a relatively short period of time, this being rapid and alsosubstantially eliminating shrinkage of the carcasses. Cooling to thistemperature is only for the purpose of providing a suicient degree ofrmness in the fat and meat to enable the carcass to be divided cleanlyinto the primal or market cuts. Cooling can also be done using liquid orgaseous carbon dioxide, nitrogen or freon refrigeration, as well as by acold air blast at about 30 F.

Most of the cuts are then cured and smoked or cooked to achieve aninternal temperature of about 137 F. or more. To accomplish this, theappropriate cuts can be injected with a high temperature brine solutionto bring the internal temperature up to about F. with the additionalheating then being accomplished in much less time than otherwiserequired to smoke or cook these cuts by the usual procedure,particularly when starting from an internal temperature of 38 F. Thefresh cuts to be chilled are iirst wrapped in plastic film tosubstantially eliminate shrinkage, after which they are chilled,preferably in a continuous tunnel by the use of high-velocity air,liquid or gaseous carbon dioxide, nitrogen or freon to an internaltemperature of 34 F. The fat which is to produce lard is immediatelyrendered after being cut from the carcasses to avoid any possiblespoilage.

The hogs which are slaughtered in the morning are thereby processed intoproducts ready for market by the end of the workday. This substantiallyreduces the space requirements for the processing facility and it alsoreduces the amount of money which would otherwise be tied up in largeinventories of hogs, carcasses, and cuts-in-process. Further, thecapacity of a given plant facility is greatly increased.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide aprocess for handling animals which substantially reduces the cooling andheating requirements in the process.

Another object of the invention is to provide a rapid, continuous methodfor processing hogs.

A further object of the invention is to provide a process for handlinghogs in which the hogs can be slaughtered in the morning and beprocessed into products ready for market by the end ofthe same day.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method forprocessing hogs in which the amount of shrinkage due to evaporationlosses is substantially reduced.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a method forprocessing hogs in which the amount of labor and space requirements arereduced, as well as the extent of inventory of meat in process.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof,reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing the step in processing hogs inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat schematic view in perspective of a cooling tunnelfor cooling hog carcasses immediately after de-heading and eviscerating;

FIG. 3 is a somewhat schematic View in perspective of apparatus forseparating hams from the carcasses, if de sired, before the coolingstep;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view in vertical cross section of apparatus forrapidly heating certain cuts of the hogs prior to smoking or cookingthem;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view in perspective of a modification of theapparatus of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a somewhat schematic view in perspective of apparatus forrendering fat into lard immediately after the fat is separated from thecarcass.

In processing a hog, one of the rear feet is shackled and the hog ishung 'from an overhead conveyor. After stunning, the hog is stuck andbled, with the carcass then placed in a bath of scalding water andde-haired. The carcass can then be washed and singed or shaved to removethe remaining hair, or other depilatory methods can be used for thispurpose. The carcass is then de-headed and eviscerated, after which itis usually split in two and rough trimmed.

According to the usual process for handling hogs, the carcass is thenmoved to a chilling room where it is chilled to an internal temperatureof 36-38 F. in the thickest parts of the hog. This is commonlyaccomplished by flowing air over refrigeration coils and discharging itinto the chilling room above the carcass. This cooling operation takessixteen to eighteen hours or more and results in shrinkage in the weightof the carcass of about one and one-half percent to two and one-halfpercent, averaging about two percent. After breaking the chilledcarcassy into primalor maket cuts, most are then smoked or cooked, beingheated from an internal temperature of about 38 F. to about 137 to 160F. over a lengthy period of time. The cuts are then chilled again to alow temperature over a period of time in a cold storage room. 'Ihe fatis similarly chilled and then heated again when being rendered.

In accordance with the invention and referring to FIG. 1, the carcassesor carcass halves are rapidly cooled only to a surface temperature of 27to 65 F. and preferably about 50-60 F. from an internal temperature ofabout 95 F. and a surface temperature of about 85 F. This cooling stepis used only to give the meat and fat a certain degree of firmness whichit does not have at the upper temperatures approximating bodytemperature of the hog. At the upper temperatures, the meat and fat aretoo ilaccid to enable smooth, precise cuts to be made in the carcass forthe purpose of breaking up the carcass into primal or market cuts.

The cooling preferably is accomplished in a continuous tunnel or cabinetthrough which the carcasses are conveyed. The cooling is achievedquickly by rst owing water, and then subsequently recirculated brine,over the carcasses in la substantially continuous iilm. With thisarrangement, the required amount of chilling can be accomplished in onlyabout twenty-five minutes and, further, the use of liquid for thecooling medium substantially eliminates shrinking. Quick chilling canalso be achieved using liquid or gaseous carbon dioxide, nitrogen,freon, or a cold air blast.

Referring to FIG. 2, a cooling tunnel or cabinet indicated at l includesa irst section 12 in which water is flowed over carcasses 16 and asecond section 14 in which brine is flowed over the carcasses andrecirculated. The water used is preferably potable or tap water, thetemperature of which will vary somewhat over the seasons of a year. Thiswater is preferably under enough pressure to have an impinging actionthat will rinse loose hair and blood from the carcasses. Hence, thiswater serves a double function. As shown, the water can be suppliedthrough a pair of spray pipes 18 and 20 located on each side of aconveyor rail 22 which extends completely through the tunnel and carriesthe carcasses on trolley hangers 24, as is generally known in the art.The water is directed over the carcasses in uniform sprays so as to rundown the surfaces thereof in substantially continuous iilms. This wateris then simply drained to a sewer through a drain line 26 for sanitaryreasons, rather than being recirculated.

The brine in the section 14 can be at a temperature of about 32-33 F.with a strength of 15-25 salrneters; the temperatures for the brine willdepend in part on the temperature of the water used in the first section12. The brine in the section 14 is also supplied through spray pipes 28and 30 located on each side of the conveyor rail 22 so that it will rundown the carcasses in lfilms. However, the brine is collected in a drainline 32 (or a plurality) and recirculated through a cooling tank 34where a suitable refrigeration coil 36 cools the brine to the desiredtemperature. The brine is then recirculated through an outlet line 38, apump 40, a supply line 42, and branch lines 44 and 46 to the spray lines28 and 30. A cooling tunnel of similar construction can be used to chillthe carcasses with liquid or gaseous carbon dioxide, nitrogen or freonafter thek carcasses have been Washedwith water.

The size of the tunnel 10 will vary somewhat depending on plantcapacity. Where the hogs are cooled to a surface temperature of 27 to 65F. in about twenty-five minutes, and with a plant capacity of about fourhundred hogs per hour, the section 12 can have a length of fortytwo feetand the section 14 a length of one hundred sixtyseven feet, with a footbetween the sections.

The cooling tunnel exit can be at the cutting room, in which the cooledcarcass is immediately divided into the primal cuts. The cuts into whichthe carcass is usually divided include hams, picnics, bellies, porkloins, Boston butts, ribs, fatbacks, and clear plates. After beingdivided, cuts, representing about seventy-two percent of the carcass, byweight, require heating, while the remainder are chilled. The cuts thatare heated, of course, begin from an internal temperature in the orderof 70 F. rather than 38 F. or lower.

The cooling requirements for reducing the carcass temperature to 70 F.internally can be reduced if the hams are cut and separated from theremainderof the carcass while still at carcass temperature orthereabouts. These hams can then be subsequently smoked at 137 to 142 F.or fully cooked at 152 to 160 F., starting from a temperature of aboutF. internally, rather than 70 F. To achieve a clean cut at the uppertemperatures, it is necessary that the carcass be iirmly held on eachside of the cutting line which is in the proximity of the aitch bone. Toaccomplish this continuously, each carcass half can be inverted and heldwith the harm hanging down as disclosed in my co-pending patentapplication, ser. No. 47,216, filed lune 18, 1970, entitled Method andApparatus for slaughtering Animals, now Pat. No. 3,657,- 770. The hamcan then be severed by a knife located on one or both sides thereofwhich moves in substantially a horizontal path. Alternatively, thecarcass half can be moved slowly with the at sidefdown over a table witha chopping blade having concave pressure plates on each side thereofthen moved into contact with the carcass, with the carcass being heldbetween the pressure plates and table as the cutter severs the ham fromthe remaining carcass. In either case, the remaining carcass can be thenbe moved in a continuous manner into the cooling chamber or tunnel.

A representative means for quickly separating the ham from the remainderof the carcass is shown in FIG. 3. In this instance, the carcass 16 isheld in an inverted position by a thong 48 connected to a conveyorhanger 50 on a rail 52, along which the carcass 16 is conveyed towardthe cooling tunnel. Since the carcass 16 is substantially at bodytemperature at this time, after de-heading, eviscerating, and splittingthe carcass in two, it must be held firmly while the ham is cut off. Toachieve this, a at back-up or supporting plate S4 is located immediatelyto one side of the conveyor rail 52 and supports the split or liat sideof the carcass during the cutting operation. A cutting device indicatedatr 56 is located on the other side of the carcass and,fin thisinstance, is suspended by a cable 58 from an overhead pneumaticbalancing hoist 60 of a type commercially available. The hoistr 60 canbe supported by a hanger 62 from a side rail 64 so that the device 56can be moved along with the carcass 16 as the cut is being made, eventhough the carcass will only move a short distance in that time. Thebalancing hoist 60 enables the cutting device 56 to be manipulated by anoperator as though it weighed only a few pounds even though, in fact, itmay weigh substantially more than a hundred.

The device 56 includes a frame 66 suspended by the cable 58 with arotating circular knife or saw blade 68 projecting forwardly of thedevice 56 and driven through a flexible cable 70 by a motor 72. Theblade 68 is capable of cutting through both the meat and the aitch boneof the carcass relatively cleanly and quickly. Because the forward edgeof the blade must go completely through the carcass and because thecarcass is backed up immediately by the plate S4, the plate 54 has slots74 therein to receive the blade. Since the carcasses are of differentlengths and the position in which they hang relative to the hanger 50 bymeans of the thong 48 may vary, a plurality of the slots 74 areprovided, in a staggered relationship, so that the cutting device 56 canbe properly aligned with the desired position on the carcass at whichthe ham is to be separated, and at the same time be aligned with one ofthe slots 74. The device 56 is easily manipulated up and down to thedesired cutting position by the operator with the aid ofthe balancinghoist 60.

Because of the fiaccid condition of the meat at this point, it isessential that the carcass be firmly held on the outer side as well asbeing backed up by the plate 54 on the split or inner side. For thispurpose, a pair of concave pressure plates 78 and 80 are located aboveand below the blade 68. These engage the carcass immediately above andbelow the separation or cutting line and hold the meat firmly during thecut. The pressure plates 78 and 80 can be mounted by swivel joints 82and 84 on spring-loaded rods 86 and 88 which are telescopically receivedin upper and lower arms 90 and 92 of the frame 66, with the rods beingurged outwardly by coil springs located therein. The springs and therods 86 and 88 enable the pressure plates 78 and 80 to yield as theknife 68 is pushed forwardly into the carcass by the operator, so thatthe pressure is maintained on the carcass by the concave platesthroughout the cutting operation.

After cooling and breaking the carcass into primal cuts, the cuts thatare to be sold fresh are Wrapped in a moisture-proof film by anautomatic wrapping machine. These cuts are then conveyed through acontinuous dry-chill cabinet or tunnel using cold air, carbon dioxide,nitrogen or freon as the chilling medium to lower the internaltemperature of the cuts to about 34 F. The protective film eliminatesshrinkage during this secondary chill. 'Ihese chilled cuts are graded byweight ranges and packed in shipping boxes at the discharge end of thechill conveyor. They can then be stored on pallets in a conventionalcooler at 34 F.

Hams are immediately pumped with a brine solution. This solutionordinarily comprises water, salt, and sugar, and, in accordance with theinvention, is first heated to a temperature of 120 to 170 F. The brinesolution is injected into the hams, for example, by means ofcommercially available pumps which inject the solution through amultiplicity of hollow needles into the interior of the ham. A ten-poundham, by way of example, with an internal temperature of 70 F., will bepumped with four pounds of the hot, 170 F. brine solutionto'substantially instantaneously increase the internal temperature ofthe ham to as much as 120 F. If this ham is to be marketed as a bone-in,smoked ham, it can then be inserted in a stocking and hung on a smoketree in a smokehouse. The ham can be smoked or cooked to a finaltemperature of 137 to '160 F. in less than five hours, compared to abouteleven hours otherwise required to smoke and cook the ham when startingwith an internal temperature of 38 F. The facility can then produce fourbatches of hams per day rather than two, for example, with the doublecapacity achieved.

If further initial heating of the hams is desired, this can beaccomplished by injecting them with additional brine solution throughthe hollow needles again. While most of the brine almost immediatelydrains from the hams, if an excess remains, particularly after thesecond injection, some of the brine can be squeezed out in a presshaving parts molded to the approximate shape of the ham to avoiddistortion thereof during the pressing or squeezing operation.

Rather than injecting the hams with hot brine the second time, thehollow injecting needles can be projected completely through the hamswith the brine then passed through into a collecting tank, serving onlyas a heat exchange medium in that case. In another technique, the hamscan be heated initially with the hollow needles projecting completelythrough them, then injected with the hot brine solution, and finally, ifdesired, heated further by projecting the needles completely throughthem and using the brine once again only as a heat exchange medium. Theheating achieved by the brine also can be supplemented or replaced byhot needles heated by electricity, for example.

Referring to FIG. 4, the apparatus shown is suitable for injecting brineinto hams and initial heating, in which case the apparatus is alsosuitable for any other cuts besides hams which are to be cooked. In thisinstance, a multiplicity of hollow needles 94 are shown extendingcompletely through a ham 96 or other cut with the exception of one ofthe needles which has encountered a bone in the ham. The needles arepart of a commercially available device, obtainable from severalcompanies, which are used ordinarily merely to inject brine solutioninto the hams at ambient temperatures. The needles 94 are supported by amanifold head 98 which moves the needles into the cut and resilientlysupports them so that they can yield when encountering a bone or thelike. The head 98 also constitutes a source of supply of brine which isforced through openings adjacent the pointed ends of the needles.

The brine from the needles is collected in a sump 100 below a supportinggate 102 for the hams and from the sump is fed into a heat exchange tank104 containing a heated coil 106 which maintains the temperature of thebrine in a range of to 170 F. The hot brine is then supplied through aninlet line 108 to a pump 110 which forces the brine through a line 112back to the manifold assembly 98.

For cuts which are to be heated, a modified device shown in FIG. 5 canbe employed. This includes a multiplicity of needles 114 containingelectrically-resistant elements through which electricity is supplied byleads 116 and 118 connected in parallel, in this instance, to main lines120 and 122. These needles are capable of heating the cuts into whichthey are injected rapidly similar to the needles 94. The minute holesformed by the needles 94 or 114 disappear soon after the needles areremoved.

With the ten-pound ham pumped with four pounds of brine, as discussedabove, the resulting smoked ham will have a market weight of elevenpounds, an increase of ten percent, as allowed by law. The increasedweight represents the amount of brine solution retained. If this ham hadbeen chilled to 38 F. by conventional procedures, with an average twopercent shrinkage, the weight of the ham would have then been 9.8pounds. Since this weight cannot legally be increased by more than tenpercent, the final weight of the chilled ham would have been a maximumof 10.78 pounds compared to eleven pounds, with an advantage of 2.2percent in weight increase achieved by use of the method of theinvention.

Separate conveyors and smoking tunnels can be used for picnics and forbellies with both being initially similarly heated by the hot brinesolution and hollow needles, or by needles heated by other means.

The various cuts which have been cooked or smoked are chilled to aninternal temperature of about 35 F. prior to being shipped. To increasethe rate of cooling, hollow needles through which cold brine is passedcan be projected through the cuts until brought down to an internaltemperature of about 800 F. This is about the minimum practicaltemperature for this cooling technique since, if the meat is cooled to alower temperature, it will be sufficiently rigid that the holes from theneedles will be visible and produce an unacceptable appearance from aconsumers standpoint. After reaching 80 F., the cuts can then be wrappedand chilled with lthe use of highvelocity cold air, carbon dioxide,nitrogen or freon as discussed in connection with the chilling of thefresh cuts.

Fat which is cut from the carcasses in the form of fatback and clearplates when the carcass is divided into the primal cuts will also be ata temperature of about 70 F. This fat is immediately rendered in acontinuous process, being collected and ground through a grinder headand discharged into a stainless steel screw conveyor. In the screwconveyor, steam is injected into the fat as it is conveyed to arendering tank. With the higher initial temperature of the fat and thesteam added during conveying, the time for rendering is substantiallyreduced, being about one-third as long as otherwise required.

Referring to FIG. 6, the fat cuts and trimmings are placed in a hopper124 and forced by an auger 126 driven by a motor 128 through a grinderplate 130 having openings 132 therein, preferably with diameters ofabout threeeights inch. The ground fat is then discharged into a hopper134 and transported by a twelve-inch stainless steel screw conveyor 136,driven by a motor 138, to a rendering tank 140. During conveyancethrough the conveyor 136, the ground fat is subjected to steam suppliednear the hopper 134 through line 142. The higher initial temperaturealong with the steam supplied during conveying enable the fat to berendered in a substantially reduced amount of time.

Various modifications of the above described embodiment of the inventionwill be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is to be understoodthat such modications can be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention, if they are within the spirit and the tenor of theaccompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A method of processing hogs which comprises slaughtering the hogs,eviscerating the hog carcasses, rapidly cooling the carcasses bydirecting a chilling uid substance over the carcasses for a timesuflicient to cause the surface temperature to be about 27 F. to about65 8 F. while leaving the internal temperature to be about F. to aboutF. and substantially eliminating shrinkage of the carcasses, immediatelycutting the carcasses into primal portions, heating certain of said cutportions, and chilling other of said cut portions.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the heating step comprisesinjecting a plurality of hollow needles into the certain portions of thecarcass and owing a hot brine solution through the needles.

3. A method according to claim 1 characterized further by separating thehams from the carcasses prior to rapidly cooling the carcasses.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the rapid cooling of thecarcasses is achieved by passing the carcasses through a cooling tunnel,applying tap water under pressure to rinse the carcasses, andsubsequently directing the chilling uid substance over the carcasses toreduce the surface temperature prior to cutting the carcasses into theprimalI portions. p

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the heating step comprisesinjecting a plurality of heated needles into the certain portions of thecarcass prior to subsequent heating of the certain portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,387,221 10/ 1945 Williams et al99-107 2,483,064 9/1949 Reich 99--197 X 2,937,094 5/ 1960 Rupp et al99--159 3,078,287 2/ 1963 Downing 99-108 X 3,130,057 4/1964 Williams99-108 X 3,137,582 6/ 1964 Szczesuiak 99--197 X OTHER REFERENCESAmerican Meat Institute Foundation, The Science of Meat and MeatProducts, 1960, published by W. H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco, p.335, copy in GR. 170, U.S. Pat. Off.

HYMAN LoRD, Primary Examiner

